Its proper name is simply the cabbage white, without the word "butterfly" on the end.

Whatever its name, this white butterfly has been very numerous and noticeable on recent sunny days.

It's a nuisance to vegetable growers, laying its eggs on the leaves of cabbages and related plants. The eggs hatch and the soft green caterpillars consume the leaves.

Cooler weather in a couple of weeks will put an end to these butterflies until a new generation appears at the end of August. In milder areas (Geelong, Maryborough, for example) their season finishes later and starts earlier.

The caterpillars withstand cooler temperatures than their parents, while the pupae survive all through winter, finally emerging as butterflies with the first sunny late-winter days. The pupae spend the winter on walls, fences, treetrunks and similar spots.

There can be three generations a year in the Ballarat district. The current generation is the last for this season; they are all busy finding mates before the cold weather commences.

Although mostly an insect of gardens and open country, the cabbage white travels widely. It can be seen in the middle of the Wombat Forest, for instance. There it might be found fluttering around the yellow flowers of flatweed on the roadsides.

This butterfly is native to Europe. It was accidentally introduced here via New Zealand nearly 100 years ago.

A torchlight photo of a bat from Learmonth shows a distinctive two-toned animal, with blackish head and shoulders above a brown back and rump.

This identifies it as Gould's wattled bat, a mammal that is common across most of Australia, including the Ballarat district. It roosts by day in tree-holes and buildings and is common in towns and rural areas.

The recent Learmonth report is from a rural property.

This bat is one of the first to appear in the evening.

Most of its feeding is done below treetop level, and it will come to the ground after beetles, caterpillars and crickets.

It has been known to hunt for food 10 kilometres or more from its roost site.

A Melbourne study found that Gould's wattled bat used artificial boxes just as much as it did natural tree hollows. Roost sites can house up to 30 or even more bats.

The "wattled" part of this bat's name comes from fleshy lobes at the base of the ear and corner of the mouth. Like other local bats, it hibernates during cold weather.

Can you name this native heath plant? Is it honey pots?

J.P., Ballarat North.

Your heath with upright red flowers amongst carpeting leaves is cranberry heath. It gets its name from the pea-sized fruits that will appear after the flowers.

There are several small local heath plants, including honey pots, trailing ground berry and peach heath. Our state floral emblem, common heath, is a taller species.

Honey pots grows in rather tight clumps about 60-80cm across and 10-20cm high. Its short stems are mostly erect, whereas cranberry heath normally grows quite flat, with stems trailing along the ground. The flowers of honey pots will appear later; they are difficult to see inside the plant. The slender bright red flowers of cranberry heath are tubular and long.